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Pilar Abel sued for Dalí paternity case fees

The ordeal lasted several months and included the exhumation of the artist’s remains

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18 September 2017 07:58 PM

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ACN | Barcelona

Pilar Abel’s paternity claim is coming to its final stages. A DNA test proved that Abel was not the daughter of Catalan artist Salvador Dalí 15 days ago. Now, the trial to address the paternity claim itself, demanding that Abel pay the high legal fees of the ordeal, has just come to an end.

The prosecutor, the Advocate General, and the Gala-Salvador Dalí Foundation are the plaintiffs in the trial against Abel. They argue that she is financially responsible for the court fees from the paternity claim she filed, one they described as "unfounded and reckless."

The paternity case led to the polemic issue of the artist's exhumation to obtain DNA samples for the test. The prosecutor argued that Pilar "forced" the exhumation, which was an "invasion of (Dalí's) privacy."

Abel’s lawyer Enrique Blánquez attempted to call for the trial to be adjourned. He argued that the chain of continuity for the DNA sample material was unverified, specifically for its whereabouts and transfer. But, the judge dismissed these claims.

Closely followed by the media, the hearing was held at a local Madrid court, the very same where the paternity case took place, and the same entity that ordered the artist’s exhumation to obtain DNA samples for testing. Blánquez had called four witnesses to the stand, including Abel’s mother’s caregiver, the very same who testified before a notary to the veracity of Abel’s mother’s claims. Yet, none of the witnesses, including the caregiver, appeared.

During the trial, Abel herself stated that she will not give up. She still supports her mother’s claims, and alleged that her proposed witnesses did not appear in court “because they are lying.”

“What I have heard here today is more surreal than Dalí,” she stated, adding “I do not need anyone to come testify for me, I can defend myself alone.” Abel further claimed that her struggle is comparable to “David's fight against Goliath,” sustaining that as a last resort, she’s even ready to appeal to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg. The trial is now awaiting verdict.